Catch flights, not feelings
The presidency needs ₦6.6 trillion to help Tinubu catch presidential flights
Big brains, pardon my French, but shey na like this we go dey dey? Why is it two days post-salary day and my life is already like this? I should probably pull a “Tinubu” and ask my employers for extra money.
- Margaret
Word count: ~800
Reading time ~ 3 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Tinubu to send ₦6.6 trillion extra budget proposal to National Assembly
Ruto commits to action after deadly protests against tax hikes in Kenya
WHO says 1.8 billion adults at risk of heart disease and diabetes due to lack of exercise
The Big Deal
Tinubu to send ₦6.6 trillion extra budget proposal to National Assembly
One thing about the Nigerian government, they are always up to something. This time, the Presidency is getting ready to ask the National Assembly for extra money to cover additional expenses that were not included in the initial budget which is already at ₦27.5 trillion.
Remember the presidential private jets the Senate approved to replace the faulty aircraft? It’s one of the purchases that the government wants to make with the additional ₦6.6 trillion they are asking for. But we still don’t know the exact amount they intend to spend on the private jets because the budget also covers other expenses.
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, has announced that the upcoming Supplementary Budget, which is still in preparation, will be allocated to four key projects.
The proposed projects include the construction of the Lagos – Calabar Coastal Road and the Sokoto – Badagry Road. He also added that the budget will also fund railway projects, rehabilitation and expansion of dams and irrigation schemes.
Why is this a big deal?
In March, Senator Ningi was suspended for claiming that the 2024 national budget had an extra ₦3.7 trillion that could not be accounted for. Even though the Senate quickly dismissed Ningi’s claims, there was no proper investigation into the claims.
Many Nigerians have lost faith in the validity of the budget since then. In this case, the supplementary budget can create more space for corruption to thrive. Without proper transparency, funds may be diverted or misused, which technically isn’t a new thing in Nigeria.
Ruto commits to action after deadly protests against tax hikes in Kenya
The world is standing with the people of Kenya and President Ruto is being pressured to listen. The Kenyan president has now promised to take a firm stance against "violence and chaos" after protests against his controversial financial bill led to deaths and damaged parliament.
He has also decided not to sign the bill after it passed committee change at Parliament. Since the President has now vetoed the tax hike bill, Parliament now faces a tough decision to either amend the bill, scrap it altogether, or try to push it through once more. For Kenyans, this represents a small victory, but the road ahead is still not looking smooth.
Addressing the ongoing protests, President William Ruto said the military were deployed because the demonstrations were "hijacked by dangerous people."
But Amnesty International’s Kenya chapter disagreed, saying, "The way protests are being policed is getting worse quickly." They are also insisting that the government respects the rights of protesters to assemble peacefully.
Some human rights organisations have also accused authorities of abducting protesters. The Kenya Human Rights Commission said that these abductions mostly happened at night, carried out by police officers in plain clothes and unmarked vehicles. The police have not responded to these allegations yet but Kenyans are calling for the "immediate and unconditional release of all abductees."
WHO says 1.8 billion adults at risk of heart disease and diabetes due to lack of exercise
It’s probably time to renew that gym subscription because the World Health Organization (WHO) just found out that around 1.8 billion adults around the world are at risk of heart attacks and diabetes because they are not getting enough physical activity.
They also said that there’s been a troubling increase in physical inactivity among adults, which has gone up by about 5% from 2010 to 2022. If this trend continues, 35% of adults will be physically inactive by 2030.
This group of adults are most likely to face serious health issues like heart attacks, strokes, type 2 diabetes, dementia, and cancers. According to WHO, the best way to avoid being in this category is by engaging in at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week.
Everybody’s fitness goal should shift from getting that summer body to getting a WHO-approved body. So take this as your sign to hit the gym or start taking long walks.
This Week’s Big Question
“What’s one job you can never dream of doing?”
Blossom’s response -”Whatever they call waxing professionals is what I don’t want to ever be. I won’t be explaining further.”
You can also share your response here and if it’s as interesting as Blossom’s response, we’ll feature it in the next edition.
The Big Picks
Original ‘Harry Potter’ Cover Art Sells For $1.9m At Auction: The original watercolour illustration for the first edition of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” — the book that introduced the world to the young bespectacled wizard — sold for $1.9 million yesterday.
Nigeria Records $24bn FX Inflow Q1 2024: According to the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, the country recorded a total foreign exchange inflow of about $24bn in the first quarter of 2024.
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At least you can afford to pull a Tinubu 😭😭